Caitlin Mozzo Named VSU College of Education and Human Services Top Graduate

Caitlin Mozzo

VALDOSTA — Caitlin Mozzo of Adel, Georgia, is the recipient of the Fall 2017 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services at Valdosta State University.

The President’s Award for Academic Excellence is presented to the graduating student with the highest grade point average in each of VSU’s five colleges — James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services, College of the Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration.

VSU will celebrate its 224^th commencement on Friday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 9.

Mozzo will serve as the official banner carrier for the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services during the undergraduate commencement ceremony at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, on the VSU Front Lawn. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education, with a focus in middle grades mathematics and language arts, and an Honors College Certificate.

“It is an honor to receive this award for the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services,” she said. “Being chosen to lead my fellow graduates into the commencement area is humbling, and I am grateful to be able to lead us all in celebrating our achievements while at Valdosta State University.”

As a student at VSU, Mozzo was a member of the Honors Student Association, where she served as upperclassmen representative and vice president; Dance Marathon, where she served as operations chairwoman, director of internal affairs, and overall director; Alpha Lambda Delta: National Honor Society for First-Year Students; the Beta Tau chapter of Phi Kappa Phi; and Reade Hall Council, where she served as president. She worked as a tutor at the Student Success Center and for the Department of Mathematics, and she worked off campus with ELEAD CRM. She served among a distinguished group of student leaders known as university ambassadors and represented VSU at events focused on future and current students, as well as alumni and donors. 

Mozzo’s commitment to academic, research, and service excellence on campus, in the community, and around the world resulted in her being named a Zell Miller Scholar and an Honors Scholar four years in a row and earning the 2015-2016 Hugh C. Bailey Family Scholarship, the Bartram Award for Intellectual Exploration from the Honors College, and the Maggie W. Bridges and Michael A. Stoddard Scholarship. She also earned the 2016 Gerald Petrella Award for Outstanding Student in Mathematics Education.  

Mozzo presented research at the 2017 and 2016 Georgia Collegiate Honors Council Conference and the 2016 Southern Regional Honors Council Conference. She was recognized during the 2015-2016 Student Employee of the Year Awards Ceremony for her work with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

After graduation, Mozzo plans to teach at a South Georgia middle school and continue her own education by pursuing a master’s degree in instructional technology, followed by an education specialist degree.

“My career goal is to touch the lives of as many children as possible during my teaching career and to arm them with an education that will benefit them for the rest of their lives,” she said. “I chose to go into education because there is nothing more important than leaving your mark on the world, and as a teacher you are able to leave a mark in the heart of every child that enters your classroom.”

Mozzo is the daughter of Ronald Mozzo Jr. and Lori Mozzo. She is originally from Deptford, New Jersey.